2014 NHL Playoffs: Martin St. Louis Heating Up For New York Rangers

By Brandon Fitzpatrick

Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

When Martin St. Louis was acquired by the New York Rangers at the trade deadline in the first-ever captain-for-captain swap, Rangers fans were expecting big things quickly. It did not turn out that way as St. Louis struggled for his first 19 games as a Ranger. He only scored one goal during that time and only accumulated seven assists.

But as it goes with all great players, St. Louis is heating up at the perfect time.

In the first three games of the Rangers’ series against the Philadelphia Flyers, St. Louis has two goals and three assists for five points. He is noticeable every time he is on the ice, making great plays and setting up his teammates beautifully. He is also getting good scoring opportunities in the dirty areas. His goal last night was a deflection in front of the net, a place where you don’t see a lot of 5-foot-9 guys score from.

The narrative that the St. Louis trade was bad is all but dead. St. Louis is proving to be a factor in every facet of the game; he is a key cog on the power play and penalty kill these days, and his unbelievable playmaking has given the Rangers another legitimate scoring threat on the power play alongside Rick Nash, Derek Stepan and Brad Richards.

Now that St. Louis is finding his groove, opposing teams, especially the Flyers, should be worried. When he is playing his game, there are very few players in the NHL who can change the game like him. The Rangers are lucky to have him and are lucky that he is heating up at the right time.